The Epic Story of Soldiers
by Seraphilim
Summary: Universal Century 0079. The One Year War has begun. Ryan Hughes is a simple Earth Federation officer, but he faces challenges he never expected when he signed up. Can the efforts of one man really change history?
1. Prologue

Mobile Suit Gundam: 0079 OYW - The Epic Story of Soldiers  
  
By Seraphilim  
  
Disclaimer: [Insert standard Gundam disclaimer here.]  
  
Author's Note: I've noticed that information on the One Year War between the Battle of Loum and Amuro's Gundam commandeering is somewhat scarce. If you know something I don't know, please do not hesitate to point out what is incorrect in a review. I'll get on it straight away.  
  
Changes: I found that I don't like the name "Trenton," so that will be changed. Also, I will try to detail battles and actions more.  
  
Prologue  
  
Universal Century 0069.08.13  
  
"Master Marcus, we've left effective communication range of Bunch One."  
  
The words spoken by the gravelly voice of a man over the intercom made Ambassador Marcus Kaine let out a sigh of relief, and he collapsed in his seat in the passenger section, the tightened muscles in his spine loosening. They had made it. He quietly murmured, "Thanks, Florence..."  
  
The ambassador looked to his left, where his beautiful wife of ten years, Sharon, sat quietly, her soft hands folded in her lap. He admired her still attractive visage, framed by mid-length black hair. Kaine looked forward, where his nine-year-old son, Scott, sat reading a small book, his hand diligently turning a page and absorbing the story within. Marcus allowed a smile to spread across his face.  
  
His family would be safe now.  
  
---  
  
In Zum City, a pair of individuals, clad in all-black leather bodysuits, perched in the branches of a large oak tree as they observed a small, yet fancy, car drive up towards the large estate at the top of the hill.  
  
"It'll be ten more seconds..."  
  
The car, now passing through the gates, began slowing down as it came up to the garage on the left side of the large home. A statue of Zeon Zum Daikun stood proudly before the house, with a quote on Contolism spoken by him engraved below it.  
  
"Six..."  
  
The garage opened, slowly.  
  
"Five..."  
  
The car, it's path clear, rolled into the garage.  
  
"Four..."  
  
The garage closed, also slowly.  
  
"Three..."  
  
The garage now was closed, and there was no activity as far as the two mysterious people could see.  
  
"Two..."  
  
The second person held his breath as his companion kept counting, his voice monotone.  
  
"One..."  
  
There was a sudden flash from the building. Like a blossoming flower, an explosion blew out from the interior, obliterating windows, stone, wood, and people. It only lasted a few seconds, but the explosions could easily have been seen from the town at the foot of the hill. As bits of wreckage began falling to the ground, the unknown man finished his countdown.  
  
"Zero."  
  
---  
  
It was all over the daily Zeonic news the next day. [Zeon Ambassador Marcus Kaine assassinated in explosion! Family members and domestic staff also dead! Anti-Zeon radicals suspected!]  
  
Giren Zabi grinned as he read the front page of the newspaper he grasped in his gloved hand. It was the beginning of the end for the followers of Zeon Zum Daikun.  
  
---  
  
End prologue 


	2. Operation British

Chapter One - Operation British  
  
U.C 0079.01.05  
  
Lieutenant Ryan Hughes paced back and forth on the bridge of the Salamis-class cruiser Saratoga. Subconsciously, he chewed on a fingernail, as he ran his other, shaky hand through his short black hair nervously. He was clad in a standard beige EFF officer's uniform, and currently had his officer cap tucked under his left arm. An old voice that carried a soft dignity to it spoke.  
  
"Lieutenant, could you please cease that distracting pacing?"  
  
Stopping, Ryan turned to look at the aged captain of the Saratoga. Nodding, he dropped his hand from his mouth and took up his cap and placed it snugly on his head. He said in apology, "Sorry, Captain. But the current situation is very difficult to keep calm in."  
  
"I understand, Lieutenant. But we cannot do anything productive by acting like worrywarts. The Zeon has made the first move. We must counter that move. Allowing emotion to cloud our minds is not the way to do it."  
  
Ryan looked up indignantly.  
  
"But, Captain, they just wiped out several billions lives! All our forces stationed at Sides 1,2, and 4 have been decimated or wiped out. The Zeon hijacked a colony, for chrissakes!"  
  
"Yes, and they plan to drop it on Jaburo. I know that, Lieutenant. But, as a veteran soldier, I cannot let personal feelings interfere with my duty. My brother was part of the fleet garrisoned at Side 2. He is most likely dead. But, I cannot allow myself to grieve or be angered. I can save that for after the inevitable battle ahead is over. You should do the same."  
  
Captain Dean Warren's sage words ran through the young, naïve Lieutenant's mind. The older officer spoke wise words, and Ryan calmed down, and took those words to heart.  
  
"…I apologize for my improper conduct, Sir."  
  
"It is alright, Lieutenant. I was once your age; I understand what you must be thinking and feeling now. "  
  
The two officers turned back to look out the view port. The Saratoga was not alone. Over three hundred ships strong, the EFF Fourth Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Tianem, was a force to be reckoned with. With multiple Magellan, Salamis and a multitude of various assault ships and gun ships, not the mention the hundreds of Saberfish, Toriares, and Public fighters, the Federal soldiers were confident they could handle what the Zeon wanted to throw at them.  
  
They were dead wrong.  
  
---  
  
It was a day of waiting tensely. It had been confirmed that the colony that had been hijacked was Island Iffish, a colony from Side 2 that had once housed a small EFF base. All inhabitants were considered dead. Reports of multiple other colonies having been "cleansed" with G3 gas and nuclear warheads still came in to both the media and Federal Command. The death tally was confirmed to be over two billion, mostly civilians.  
  
Within the Fourth Fleet, the Saratoga was assigned to a position not far from Tianem's own Magellan battleship, the Titan. Federal Command had decided that the ships would use nuclear warheads to defeat the Zeon escort fleet and stop the colony, hopefully as a last resort, if a standard barrage could not stop the mass of metal and glass. Ryan was utterly against the usage of nuclear weapons against Zeon, but his protests were small compared to the resolve of the senior officers of the fleet.  
  
"Captain Warren, are you seriously going to use nuclear weaponry against Zeon?"  
  
"Lt. Hughes, if you ask that again, I will be forced to have you removed from the bridge."  
  
Ryan steamed. He understood this was war, but still! Fighting fire with fire would only make more fire. It sickened him as to what was going to occur in the upcoming battle.  
  
"Captain, forward ships report they have spotted the colony directly ahead, moving at a steady pace. Admiral Tianem is ordering a long-range bombardment with primary guns."  
  
Nodding in response to the communications officer's words, Captain Warren gave the command.  
  
"All hands, battle stations. Main guns, standby. Targeting data will be coming shortly."  
  
"Captain, I..."  
  
"...Ensign Thorton, please escort Lieutenant Hughes off the bridge."  
  
"C…Captain!"  
  
Taking Ryan by the arm, the larger, tough-looking ensign took him through the door and out into the corridor. Ryan snatched his arm away once they stopped.  
  
"Let go! I'll be fine, dammit."  
  
"Sorry, Sir..."  
  
"...It's alright... I understand that tensions are high and the Captain doesn't need distractions... Tell him I'll attend to the forward gunnery station."  
  
"Yes Sir."  
  
Both men headed off to do what they were going to do. Back on the bridge, the crew waited with baited breath for the command. There was a slight crackle on the radio, then Tianem's voice came through.  
  
"All ships, target is at point 0037. Commence bombardment."  
  
"Fire."  
  
The various battleships and cruisers began their bombardment of Iffish. The men aboard the Federal ships could not see the colony against the backdrop of space as it lumbered towards them.  
  
---  
  
Almost two days later, Tianem ordered all ships to cease firing. The bombardment was ineffectual, as the colony was finally coming into view and showed no signs of stopping. The Zeon escort fleet also began to show up on radar, before sudden Minovsky interference scrambled long-range sensors. Tianem ordered the fleet to engage the smaller Zeon fleet.  
  
He regretted that course of action a few days later.  
  
Wholly prepared for the Earth Federation's interception, the Zeon fleet began to intensify Minovsky particle interference until all communication between Federal ships was blocked. Many captains began to panic. The organization and teamwork of their fleet was the EFF's strong point. The Zeon had just taken it from them. And the Zeon forces began to unveil their own advantages.  
  
Mobile suits.  
  
---  
  
Onboard the Salamis cruiser Maximillian, which was the ship at the very forefront of the Fourth Fleet, Captain Harvey cursed. All communications had been jammed. He had to act on his own judgment.  
  
"Launch those Public assault ships! Main guns, target the closest enemy ship!"  
  
The radar operator yelled, "Captain! I'm getting a very broken reading! Something's coming toward us!!"  
  
"A Zeon ship?"  
  
"No, sir, it's… people? They look like people Sir!"  
  
Harvey looked incredulous. 'People? Maybe a commando team?'  
  
"Can you confirm?"  
  
"No, I… wait… the image is clearing up…"  
  
The operator spun around to face Harvey.  
  
"Robots! They're giant robots!"   
  
"What!? You mean the Zeon's Cyclops!?"  
  
"Ye... yes! They… they're attacking!!"  
  
Looking up, Harvey saw a single plume of white before everything went white.  
  
---  
  
Shin Matsunaga snorted as he watched the Salamis explode before him in an atomic blast. His green and white Zaku still had its atomic bazooka raised. He squinted as the explosion dissipated, and lowered his weapon. His two wingmen, both flying Zaku Is, came up next to him from where they too had attacked the cruiser.  
  
"Too easy. These Feddies will be a poor opponent."  
  
"Shin, the main Zaku group is coming up behind us! And I see Feddie fighter craft coming our way!"  
  
Shin's grizzled face looked down at his controls, and he pushed the thruster lever forward.  
  
"Then, let's move forth! We are the spearhead of this attack! For the glory of Zeon!"  
  
The three Zakus headed towards the oncoming swarm of fighters, with their own swarm of Zakus coming up from behind.  
  
---  
  
The battle raged on. The two fleets now were in direct contact with each other, and rampant destruction was everywhere. Both sides were now using tactical nuclear warheads indiscriminately, even wiping out their own forces by accident. Onboard the Saratoga, miraculously untouched, Captain Warren gave more orders.  
  
"Helmsman, take us into firing range of the nearest Zeon ship. Keep the bow perpendicular to the enemy."  
  
"Yes Sir!"  
  
The Saratoga began lumbering forth, alongside two other Salamis, the Missouri and Helsinki. A small explosion to port signified the Helsinki taking damage. The Saratoga came into range of a Musai, and began firing it's turret cannons. Several Gattle fighters began a counterattack.  
  
"Anti-aircraft guns, intensify forward firepower!"  
  
Down at the forward gunnery station, the gunnery chief, a big, stocky, bald Caucasian named Richard O'Hara, who everyone called "Gunny", turned to Ryan.  
  
"Lt, can you operate an AA gun turret?"  
  
"I can try."  
  
Gunny ushered Ryan into one of the port gunner blocks.  
  
"No trying, El-Tee! Do it or don't!"  
  
"G…got it!"  
  
"Just grab the yoke there, and point at what you want to shoot and press the triggers on the top with yer thumbs! Good luck, Sir!"  
  
Gunny left, leaving Ryan at the controls to one of the Saratoga's secondary anti-aircraft guns. Grasping the yoke, he began searching for a target. There were WAY too many to choose. Quickly deciding, he opened fire on a Gattle flying by; his shots went wide.  
  
"Damn... Again!"  
  
Training the gun onto another Gattle, he squeezed the trigger. This time, the flak impacted the Gattle's left wing, tearing through the metal and causing it to start spinning wildly. The Gattle careened into the bridge of a nearby Musai cruiser, crippling it.  
  
"I got one...!"  
  
"Good shot, El-Tee! But don't get cocky!"  
  
Ryan spared a glance to the left to see another man at the turret next to him; the soldier was older than he was, but wore the uniform of a non-com. Ryan turned his attention back to the battle, and began laying more anti-air fire down.  
  
---  
  
Finally, after a massive barrage from the three Salamis, the hapless Musai they had targeted exploded. But it went not without a price. The Helsinki, ravaged by return gunfire, was "death rolling," fires erupting all over the ship. Aboard the Saratoga, chaos broiled in everyone's mind and actions.  
  
"Captain, the fleet is taking heavy hits! We've lost... twenty, almost thirty ships!!!"  
  
"God, is this what hell is like...?"  
  
"Sir, we've lost another one!"  
  
"Press on through! We'll smash through them if we have to!"  
  
Warren snatched the inter-ship phone off the command chair's armrest.  
  
"Gunnery Chief! Focus fire on that Musai 30* to starboard!"  
  
"Yes Sir!"  
  
"And prepare the Mk82s."  
  
"U...understood, Skipper."  
  
A minute passed, as the battle raged on outside. Gunny responded quickly.  
  
"Captain, the Mk82s are set and ready to fire."  
  
"All right. You have firing control!"  
  
"Sir!"  
  
Warren stood, and pointed his hand out at a far point in the distance.  
  
"Target the center of the enemy fleet formation!! ...FIRE!!!"  
  
From the bow-mounted missile launchers, four bright flashes erupted; all soared straight into the Zeon fleet. With satisfaction, Warren saw four Papuas and several smaller ships evaporate in the ensuing explosions.  
  
"Sir, proximity alert!"  
  
Warren snapped his head over to the operator as she spoke.  
  
"What!?"  
  
"C…Captain!! IN FRONT!!!"  
  
Looming in front of the bridge of the Saratoga floated a single Zaku II, its 120mm machinegun pointed right at the bridge. Warren stared, his face paling.  
  
"No, it can't..."  
  
The Zaku fired.  
  
---  
  
The sudden rocking of the ship threw Ryan halfway out of the gun turret. Stunned, it took him a moment to react. He blurted out with surprise, "What was that!?" Scrambling out of the turret and rushing to an intercom panel, he keyed the bridge.  
  
"Captain! Captain Warren, what happened!?"  
  
Silence. Ryan was stunned at the implication. No, that was impossible. Ryan fell to his knees, holding onto the panel for support. 'The bridge... the bridge must have been hit...' he thought slowly, still in shock.  
  
"Lieutenant, what's wrong!? What just happened!?"  
  
Standing up, Ryan turned to find Gunny there, with a expression of confused trepidation on his bearded face.  
  
"They... they got the bridge..."  
  
Gunny gasped involuntarily. "My god... the Skipper... the whole bridge crew...!"  
  
"I... I would've died too, if the Captain hadn't had me removed from the bridge..."  
  
"…El-Tee, this means you're the highest ranking officer onboard."  
  
Ryan was silent at that. That meant he was effectively captain until the battle was over, at the very least. Collecting himself the best he could, he turned to Gunny.  
  
"All right. I'll head to the secondary bridge. Gunny, can you try to find anybody else who can operate the controls, communications, and the other bridge equipment?"  
  
"I'll try, Sir, but I can't guarantee anything."  
  
"Do what you can. Remember what you told me, do it or don't!"  
  
"Yes Sir, El-T... Skipper."  
  
Ryan gave a bitter smile as he rushed off to the secondary bridge.  
  
---  
  
End Chapter One 


	3. Falling Star

Chapter Two: Falling Star  
  
"Helmsman, pull us back and away from where the combat is thickest. Operator, anything from our Saberfish squadron?"  
  
"Nothing. I'm not receiving any replies."  
  
Ryan cursed as he leaned back roughly against the small command chair in the secondary bridge, which really wasn't much more than a few control panels and chairs. Thanks to Gunny, he'd managed to cobble together a halfway decent bridge crew from the few officers and soldiers onboard who had some sort of expertise in communications, electronics, etcetera, but the situation was still in the muck. Without the main bridge, they had only sensors and the gun turrets to rely on for any awareness on the battlefield.  
  
"Operator, what's our fleet's status?"  
  
"...It's bad, Captain..."  
  
"Tell me."  
  
"Twe... twelve Magellan, forty-five Salamis, thirty-nine Columbus, and over one hundred and thirty other ships... all destroyed. Our fighter strength has been reduced to about eighty."  
  
"This... this is a slaughter... Helm, full reverse, NOW!"  
  
"Yes, Sir!"  
  
"I don't care what's thought of me for running, but I will NOT have the people aboard this ship die in a battle we cannot win. Operator, try to contact the Saberfish group again. Tell them to pull back to the ship, ASAP."  
  
---  
  
The situation aboard the Titan was easily as hectic as that aboard the other Federal ships.  
  
"Admiral Tianem! We're losing the left flank!"  
  
"Quickly, give me a status report!"  
  
Upon hearing the statistics, Tianem growled. The Federal Forces were faring terribly. From just the visual check, the EFF fleet was down to less than half its original size. The man in charge slammed his fist down on the arm of his chair. Outside, he saw another Salamis fall to those angry yellow beams lancing out from the Zeon ships.  
  
"Helm, take us about one hundred and eighty degrees, and full speed. We're pulling out. We… we can't stop it."  
  
"Understood. Making course change, one eighty degrees."  
  
Tianem bit his lip. There was one other thing they could try, but they'd have to get out of the effective range of Minovsky interference first.  
  
---  
  
As the Titan began it's retreat, the ships in it's immediate vicinity followed suit. Unfortunately, without communications, the actual retreat order couldn't be sent, and the majority of the Fourth Fleet were completely unaware and continued to fight on. The Salamis cruiser Dublin, already ravaged with flames and explosions from a firefight just minutes earlier, rammed futilely into the colony in a vain attempt to stop it. A Columbus transport, too near to another supply ship, collided with it and exploded when trying to pull away from a pursuing Musai cruiser. One of the few remaining Magellans, the Vigilant, after recovering all of its fighters, began it's own retreat from the battle, followed by two Salamis that were part of its ship group. Unfortunately, it never succeeded. A Zaku II with a white head and spike armor intercepted the Magellan. The captain of the Vigilant stared in shock.  
  
"That's... that's the White Wolf!!"  
  
Shin Matsunaga unloaded his final nuclear warhead into the Vigilant, vaporizing it and its two fellow ships.  
  
"We've won here today, Federation dogs. Remember your defeat when again you lay eyes on space."  
  
---  
  
Finally realizing that they were retreating, the rest of the Federal forces pulled out of the battle zone, with the Zeon forces still shooting them down almost like flies. The surviving ships of the Tianem Fleet all finally made it away from the battle area. They were down to approximately seventy eight ships; they had started the battle with three hundred and twenty one. Their fighter strength was now a measly forty two Saberfish and nineteen Toriares; they had started the battle with more than two hundred total fightercraft. The Zeon had fared much better, only losing about two dozen ships out of their fleet, yet, they had suffered a massive loss of one hundred and forty five Zakus from their total of nine hundred.  
  
The battle had been catastrophic, but the survivors, mostly those in the Federal ranks, gave thanks for being alive after such a battle, and prayed for the souls of those who had died. The Zeon congratulated themselves for a successful operation.  
  
Unfortunately, not everyone alive made it out. Several ships, dead in space, crews still alive, were smashed to stardust by the falling colony. They repeated SOS signals that fell on deaf ears.  
  
Suddenly, a cluster of lights streaked from the planet surface. A moment later, a bright white light flashed over the colony.  
  
Ryan couldn't see the nuclear explosion, but he somehow felt its power washing over him like a wave of heat. Suddenly, he began to get an agonizing headache. He could suddenly feel all these foreign emotions bombarding his mind; anger, fear, panic, sorrow, hatred... He almost lost consciousness, but it suddenly stopped. Looking around the secondary bridge, he noticed nobody else seemed to have suffered anything similar, and hadn't noticed his sudden lapse. Wary, he decided to keep the incident to himself.  
  
After the massive explosion, it was revealed that the colony had still not been destroyed, even after the nuclear attack. The generals that had ordered the launch of the missiles refrained from doing so again, afraid the colony would only break up to cause more widespread damage. Instead, they ordered a full evacuation of Jaburo.  
  
Just a few hours later, flashs on the surface of the Earth signified the colony impacting, yet it wasn't all in one piece. It had broken apart in the atmosphere into several smaller parts. One small flash in the Pacific. Two small ones in North America. And finally, one massive flash of life-taking destruction on the east coast of Australia. The city of Sydney, its residents, and the surrounding land had ceased to exist.  
  
---  
  
It is now Universal Century 0079.01.14. Zeon, unsatisfied with its failed Operation British, commenced the beginning of a second colonyjack operation at Side 5. The First Combined Fleet, under the direct command of General Revil, began making its way to stop the Zeon forces, which were now under the direct command of Vice Admiral Dozul Zabi.  
  
A few remnants of the Tianem Fleet, fervously hoping to regain lost honor and make up for the shameful loss at British, were also joining up with the First Fleet. Among these was the battle-ravaged Saratoga's crew. Newly promoted to Lieutenant Commander for his quick, efficient and courageous command of the ship after Captain Warren had been killed in action, Ryan Hughes had been assigned to captain a Columbus fleet carrier, the Iwo Jima, which carried a full flight of Saberfish and Public fighter craft. The Iwo Jima was under the fleet command of one Commodore Brian Aeno. The remainder of the Saratoga's crew was tranferred over with Ryan, and the gaps were filled by new additions to the crew.  
  
Onboard Revil's flagship, the Ananke, the elderly General sat in his chair with his hands clasped over his lap. Next to him, a large, stout man with a chiseled face was reading a report a junior officer had just handed to him. He spoke in a very deep, gruff voice that matched his size.  
  
"General Revil, it seems that fleet is at ready status."  
  
"Good, good. What have you on the Zeon fleet's activities, Lt. Commander Ohm?"  
  
"It is as we expected, General. They are attempting a second colony hijacking. Their target in in Side 5."  
  
"Signal all ships. We're moving out to intercept the Zeon at Side 5."  
  
"Yes Sir."  
  
---  
  
"Captain, we've got the order to move out. The destination is Side 5," said the young woman seated at the communication station. Her name was Pamela Smith, and she'd originally been just a junior communications operator aboard the Saratoga. Now, she had the actual comm seat on the bridge of the Iwo Jima. She reached up to adjust the headset she wore on top of her long black hair.  
  
Ryan sat as calmly as he could in the command chair aboard the Iwo Jima. It was still odd to hear himself referred to as "Captain." He nodded in response to Pamela's message.  
  
"All right. Ensign Harris, increase engine output to full power. It shouldn't take long to reach Side 5."  
  
Andrew Harris, an older, yet still considerably young, man than Ryan, nodded as he made the adjustments at his station. He quickly responded, "We're underway, Captain."  
  
The First Combined Fleet left from Luna II, on a mission to prevent the tragedy of British from occuring once more. It took a little less than a day to reach Side 5.  
  
---  
  
End Chapter 2 


	4. Preparations

Onboard the Iwo Jima during the fleet's transition to Side 5, Ryan found it impossible to sleep. His thoughts kept turning back to the disaster of that hellish week, the time now infamously known as the One Week War. The devastation of the Federal forces, the loss of thousands of Federal soldiers... the loss of the man he had served under for the last year, hell, the loss of a dozen people he had personally known and worked with on the Saratoga's bridge for that time.  
  
In his cabin, Ryan turned over for the umpteenth time on his small bed, still clad in his officer's uniform. He now thought about that odd, empathic feelings he had been struck with at the very end of the battle. He had felt emotions on a scale hundreds of times stronger than he'd ever felt before. It wasn't normal, not normal at all. Even now, Ryan debated whether he should report it to the ship doctor, or keep it secret. 'Fuck. The last thing this ship needs is to know her captain has gone cuckoo,' he thought, his brow furrowing in frustration. That did it. Nobody was to find out about his little mental episode. As long as everyone was kept in the dark, nothing should come of it.  
  
The twenty-four-year-old colony-born man sat up, and rubbed his temples through his short hair. He needed to do something to take his mind off of then, and to take it off of what was surely going to happen within the next day or so. 'Not even a week, and Zeon's already making an attempt at a second damn colony drop. I wonder what the colonists think.' He smiled wryly at the thought as he left his quarters and headed for the portside hangar bay. Maybe he could just talk to someone.  
  
---  
  
The Aeno Fleet was a sub-fleet of the main Revil Fleet, commanded by Commodore Brian Aeno from the Magellan battleship Bull Run and answering only to Revil himself or Vice Admiral Rodney Canningan, Revil's executive officer. The Aeno Fleet consisted of one Magellan battleship(Bull Run), three Salamis cruisers(Stockholm, Wesley, and Quebec), and two Columbus transports (The Ivan Roganov and the Iwo Jima). The Iwo Jima had just been assigned to the fleet from the drydocks at Luna II, and by coincidence Ryan had found himself in command with the Saratoga being grounded from too much damage. While the Iwo Jima had no defensive capabilities like a Salamis or Magellan, it did hold a complement of eight Saberfish fighter craft, six Toriares interceptors, and two Public assault craft. Also onboard were two shuttlecraft, similar to Salamis capsules, capable of atmospheric re-entry that doubled as escape vessels.  
  
Prior to departure, the two Columbus vessels had been thrown a quick swap out. The two Public craft had been swapped for two of the experimental Rrf- 05/06 Zanny mobile suits, an attempt by the Federation to counter the Zeon Zaku. The Rrf-05/06 was simply a retooled captured MS-05 or MS-06, and toted 180mm low-recoil cannons or bazookas in its claw-like grip. The Zanny also had simple 40mm Vulcan guns ripped from fighter craft installed on the heads. Only a handful of the already small amount of Zannys were equipped with captured Heat Hawks; the rest carried crude, cobbled-together lengths of steel nicknamed 'Bat' after the wooden bats they resembled that were used in the Earth-bound sport of baseball. It was noted that a Bat could not possibly last long against a Heat Hawk, but it should prove effective enough against either the armor of a Zaku or the hull of a Musai.  
  
The pilots assigned to wield these new weapons were selected from some of the best Saberfish or Toriares pilots available. Many turned down the offer, finding the Zanny too sluggish or unresponsive compared to a sleek fighter. Upon reaching the hangar, Ryan met with the two pilots chosen to fly the new Zanny mobile suits aboard the Iwo Jima. They were 2nd Lt. Yazan Gable and 1st Lt. Lyle Holst. Both men gave a salute to Ryan as he approached.  
  
"At ease. So, I take you two are prepared for what's to come, right?"  
  
Yazan, whom Ryan couldn't help but think of as 'street punk' material, punched one of his fists into his other hand.  
  
"I'm good and ready to kick the collective ass of all those Zeon bitches! Sir."  
  
Lyle, who was the superior officer of the two, and also the more professional-looking, nodded his agreement.  
  
"I'm also ready for the upcoming battle, Captain. I've accustomed myself to the Rrf-06's controls, so I shouldn't have any unwarranted problems out there." "Hey! I've been wonderin', why do I get the crappy-ass little Zaku wannabe when you get the meaner lookin' motherfucker?"  
  
Ryan looked over at the Zannys; Yazan's observations, though crude, made sense. The left Zanny was built off the frame of the older and weaker Zaku I (Only yesterday had info come in detailing the Zeon Zakus more. There were two general versions, the older model designated as "Zaku I" and the improved model designated as "Zaku II". The II was stronger and faster, but the I was more commonly found). That was Yazan's suit. The right Zanny was more broad-shouldered, sturdier-looking, and kept the spike shoulder armor from the Zaku frame, giving it a menacing look (Albeit not as menacing as the Zaku itself; the visor camera on the Zanny didn't keep the fear factor of the Zaku's monoeye).  
  
Lyle's response was short and simple. "Because I'm better than you, Yazan." "Fuck you, Holst. You just have rank over me. I could own your pale ass on my worst day." "In fighter craft, I may agree. But you haven't been getting accustomed to the Zanny like I have. We'll see when we get to Side 5 whether your words hold any truth." Yazan gave him the finger as he walked away. Lyle sighed and saluted Ryan. "I'll be going now, Sir. We'll be ready when the time comes." Ryan saluted back. "Got it. Make sure the other pilots are brought up to speed on the full situation and are at one-hundred-twenty percent battle readiness." Lyle nodded and left to see to it. Ryan decided to head on up to the bridge. If he couldn't sleep, then he damn well wasn't going to just sit around doing nothing.  
  
---  
  
A day passed. The Zeon's colonyjack fleet, under Vice Admiral Dozul Zabi's direct command, was already nearing its objective: Watohoat colony. Onboard the Musai cruiser Thrudgelmir, 1st Lieutenant Acelia Ru Zengre, a busty young woman from Side 3, was briefing her Zaku squad on their mission. She was well into her mid-twenties, and she carried an aura of experience. She had fought during Operation British at Side 4, participating in the ruthless destruction of Federal units positioned there. It still turned her stomach to remember some of the wanton destruction of colonies though, through the use of nuclear and chemical weaponry.  
  
"Okay, guys, listen up. The Thrudgelmir is part of the escort force, therefore, it is our job, along with everyone else in the escort fleet to make sure the hijacking operation is completed without a hitch."  
  
Her audience consisted of three male pilots; two of who decided that staring at her hips was more important than the briefing. She contemplated giving them each a swift kick to the sides of their heads, but she regretfully decided not to do so. She needed them in good enough shape to pilot. The third man, blond and handsome, was paying attention to her words and not her body. She liked him. He was a recent recruit that showed excellent aptitude for piloting; if he could survive real battle, he could make a pretty damn good pilot. Acelia smiled in his direction as she spoke.  
  
"2nd Lt. Ridden, you were paying attention. Can you reiterate to 2nd Lt. Parson and Master Sergeant Nom what the objective was?"  
  
Johnny Ridden stood up from his seat in the cramped briefing room, which caught the attention of the two idiots.  
  
"Yes, Ma'am. The objective is to make sure none of the hijacking ships are bothered by the incoming Federal fleet." "Good. Now, did the two of you hear that clearly, or shall I say it again with more... force?"  
  
Parson and Nom quietly and quickly shook their heads. Acelia in no way had a short temper, but when she reached the end of its long fuse, heads rolled. Parson and Nom both had been under her command long enough to know that. Flicking back a stray strand of her golden hair, Acelia continued.  
  
"The Federal fleet is obviously going to dwarf ours in size, but we have the superior firepower. They don't have mobile suits. We do. If you're smart and use that advantage to its full potential, sinking a Salamis should be a cakewalk."  
  
Johnny nodded at that. 'Maybe I could take down one of those ships, even in my first real battle.'  
  
"Now, if you men understand the mission, then this briefing is over. Get to your suits, and prepare for deployment. The enemy fleet is supposedly only an hour or so behind us."  
  
The men saluted their commanding officer, and they shuffled out of the room. Acelia called out Johnny's name before he also left. He turned back with a curious look on his youthful face.  
  
"Yes, Lieutenant?"  
  
"Johnny, you are the 'newbie' on the ship. Don't take too many chances out there. I haven't lost a pilot yet, and I don't want you to be the first."  
  
Johnny saluted, and grinned.  
  
"No worries, Lt. I assure you that I'll come back alive."  
  
Acelia smiled back, but with a little edge to her expression. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Mr. Ridden."  
  
"U... understood."  
  
Johnny turned on one heel and left the room. Acelia leaned back against the wall, giving a little curse.  
  
"Damn our brass. Who's the idiot who decided we should make another one of these godforsaken colony drops? I have a really bad feeling about this one."  
  
Collecting herself, Acelia headed out of the room and headed for the hangar.  
  
End Chapter Three 


End file.
